Central agencies like ED are aimed at destroying cooperative sector in Kerala: CM Vijayan
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday accused central agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of targeting the cooperative sector banks in the state while turning a blind-eye to large-scale financial irregularities in other parts of the country.
Vijayan alleged that agencies like the ED were coming to Kerala to portray something being wrong with the cooperative banks here, with the "ill-intention" of destroying the sector.
The CM said that such politically motivated moves would neither be accepted nor permitted in the state.
He was speaking after inaugurating a conference here on the topic of protecting the cooperative sector.
Vijayan said there were deposits worth over Rs 2.5 lakh crore in cooperative sector banks in the state which were functioning efficiently and professionally.
"With the aim of destroying this sector, central agencies are coming here," he alleged.
Referring to the Karuvannur bank scam, Vijayan said that once the corruption in that establishment was revealed, both the cooperation department and the police had taken action.
While action was taken against the culprits, the government did not shut down the bank but tried to support it in order to safeguard the trust the people have on cooperative banks, he said.
"However, the ED rushed to the place as if it had found something new. It wanted to show that irregularities were taking place in the cooperative sector in the state with the aim of destroying it. That we cannot accept or allow," the CM alleged.
"Instead of investigating large-scale irregularities in other parts of the country where no action has been taken by the state governments, it is coming here," he further alleged.
Vijayan also claimed that the ED is an agency that has been severely criticised by many top courts of the country.
He said that various public sector banks in the country had over Rs 66 lakh crore worth non-performing assets and, of those, around Rs 16 lakh crore was waived off by the central government.
"These huge irregularities were committed by those at the helm of huge corporate companies. They committed the frauds and escaped to foreign nations," Vijayan said.
He further alleged that 15 per cent of such businessmen are those with links to the BJP at the Centre.
"Therefore, they are safe. No one questions them. There are some banks who are complicit in such activities, but the ED never sees them, never reaches them and does not question them.
"Instead, it targets the cooperative sector banks which are the backbone of our state. This is not acceptable and will be opposed," Vijayan said.
He called upon everyone to come together as one and oppose such activities of central agencies like ED.
The Enforcement Directorate, which is investigating the multi-crore Karuvannur bank scam, has arrested a local CPI(M) leader and Wadakkanchery Municipal Councillor P R Aravindakshan.
The agency also arrested a former employee of the bank C K Jills, who allegedly syphoned off Rs 5 crore in bank funds.
The ED had earlier arrested two people in connection with the alleged issuance of 'benami' loans from the bank.
On September 11, CPI(M) leader and MLA A C Moideen was interrogated for over nine hours by the ED.
The investigation into the alleged fraud, beginning in 2010 in the Thrissur-based bank, stems from 16 FIRs registered by the Kerala Police (crime branch) in Thrissur.
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Nitish loses cool inside Bihar assembly over opposition's 'guns and bullets' jibe
Patna (PTI): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar lost his composure inside the state assembly on Tuesday when opposition members created a ruckus alleging that his government was ruling the state with the help of "guns and bullets".
The 76-year-old leader, who stood up to admonish the unruly members, also had a slip of tongue, as he underscored the brute majority enjoyed by the NDA, saying "our strength is two thousand and two".
The BJP-led coalition, which includes Kumar's JD(U) and a few smaller parties, had swept the Bihar assembly polls last year, bagging 202 seats of the 243-strong House.
Trouble began soon after the House assembled at 11 am, with RJD MLA Kumar Sarvajeet registering a protest against the police's baton charge on village 'chowkidars' (watchmen) here a day ago when they were staging a demonstration to press the demand for a hike in stipends.
"The 'chowkidars' who were demanding a hike in their pay are very much employees of the Home department. Yet, they were treated in a deplorable fashion yesterday," alleged Sarvajeet.
Several other MLAs of the opposition party also raised a slogan: "bandook goli ki sarkar nahin chalegi (will not allow a rule by brute force, with the help of guns and bullets)".
This provoked Kumar, the longest serving CM of the state, who heads the JD(U) and has had a couple of short-lived alliances with the RJD in the past.
He shouted: "Do not talk rubbish. This government will run without any hiccups. Just look at us. We are two thousand and two. And just look at how many of you have been left now."
Kumar was apparently referring to the RJD's drubbing in the last assembly polls when it returned with a tally of 25, one of its worst ever performances.
When RJD leader Bhai Virendra reminded the JD(U) supremo of their two short-lived alliances in the last one decade, Kumar shot back: "Yes, and you people always indulged in mischief, a reason why I pulled out never to return".
The CM also reminded the opposition party, which was unseated from power by the NDA helmed by him in 2005, that "You did nothing worthwhile during the period you were in power... Law and order had been so abysmal that people feared getting out of their homes after 5 pm. So you better not talk nonsense."
Amid the heated exchange, some of the opposition MLAs trooped into the well, briefly plunging the House into turmoil.
The agitated members got pacified after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary rose to interject and said, "We will call representatives of various associations of chowkidars for talks. Their demands will be looked into, and appropriate action will be taken."
